The International Paul-Ehrlich-Seminar (IPES) has been a discussion forum for experts from medicines authorities and agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, clinical allergology, and allergy research for 44 years. After several years of hiatus due to the pandemic, the IPES took place for the 16th time from the 6th to the 9th of September, 2023. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut organised the hybrid event together with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Over the course of the four-day event, more than 280 international experts from 17 countries discussed the current situation and innovative developments in allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy on site at Langen City Hall or via livestream. 153 participants from the pharmaceutical industry and 38 participants from 13 regulatory authorities took part in person.
An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to certain foreign substances, which are called allergens. Allergies are widespread: approximately one in three Germans is affected by an allergy such as hay fever, an animal hair or food allergy, or contact eczema, with women being affected somewhat more often than men. An allergy can manifest itself through symptoms such as rashes, sneezing, coughing, or abdominal pain. Test allergens are used to detect allergies to the allergen tested. Therefore, one of the central topics of the IPES was allergy diagnostics and the latest developments in the regulation of allergen products. "Continuing to develop and authorise new test and therapy allergens and maintaining existing authorised allergen products is important in order to be able to reliably diagnose and treat allergies to less common allergen sources,"
noted Professor Vera Mahler, Head of the Allergology Division of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. "I am pleased that, for the first time, the patient's view was represented at this event by an official from the patient organisation EFA (European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations)."
Another focus of the IPES was on the forms of treatment for allergies. Therapy allergens are used in the course of specific immunotherapies (allergen immunotherapy (AIT), hyposensitisation). This type of therapy is carried out over a longer period of time in allergy sufferers to attenuate the excessive reaction of the immune system or, ideally, to cancel it out completely. A roundtable discussion focused specifically on immunotherapies for children with allergies. There were also presentations and discussions on new developments in the treatment of food allergies and in allergen-specific immunotherapy. Additional discussions focussed on the influence of big data and real-world evidence on the clinical development of specific immunotherapeutics. Critical factors regarding specific immunotherapy clinical trials and the latest results from those trials were a topic of discussion. Experts attending the IPES exchanged views on regulation and quality aspects of allergen products and discussed immunomodulation for the prevention of allergies.
"We are pleased that an exchange between experts from Germany and abroad was possible again after the pandemic hiatus. IPES is an important international forum for allergology. It places a particular emphasis on discussion between all key stakeholders in this field as equals. Thanks to the hybrid event format, we were able to give an increased number of participants more flexible access to this year's event,"
summarised Professor Stefan Vieths, Vice President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut.
The International Paul-Ehrlich-Seminar (IPES) is organised every three years by the Allergology Division of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut as a think tank for all relevant players in allergology.
Updated: 12.09.2023
